One of my favorite parts of Christmas is getting to gift all of the pretty little things that I can't justify buying for myself. Here are some of my favorites from this past season:

Above are some little goodies I came home with after a stroll up and down Court and Smith Street in our neighborhood, Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill: Iced Stumptown Coffee from our favorite little sandwich/grocery store,Court Street Grocers; Fig Ricotta caramel candies from the most adorable gift shop ever, By Brooklyn; macarons from Vendome Macaron Bar, a new pop-up shop; and the most amazing hot chocolate from The Chocolate Room.

Let me tell you about this hot chocolate. It comes in large chunks that they instruct you to mix up with an immersion blender. Rob and I have determined that this is the secret to the best, richest, creamiest hot chocolate ever. Of course, I'd expect nothing less from The Chocolate Room. See picture below for proof. Amazing stuff.

Here are some more goodies that I picked up (mostly purchased from Etsy) from some of my favorite makers:

A beautiful s'mores kit including home-made marshmallows and graham crackers from Whimsy & Spice (Brooklyn)
Two parrot journals and a terrarium notepad from the talented Quill & Fox (Portland)
An awesome herbal citrus-y soap from Meow Meow Tweet (Brooklyn)
Some "Happy Holidays from Brooklyn" cards from Pepper Press (Brooklyn)
Yummy peppermint salt water taffy from Salty Road (Brooklyn)
North Pole postcards and floral note cards by Rifle Paper Co (Florida)
Cocktail-inspired candles from Rewined (Charleston) - mine is "Mimosa"
Woodsy-inspired candles from Haus Interior (Manhattan) - mine is "Mountain Haus" which smells like cedar pines!

I'm so thankful for all of these talented artists (many of which are businesses of one or two), and continue to be inspired by them.